Three years ago I reluctantly purchased a Yard Machine POS self propelled mower. I never liked it and have waited for the day it would die. A few weeks ago, that day finally came. It was finally time for a new mower. Once bitten, twice shy, so this time I was going to do it right. It was time for a John Deere.

I’ve known this company my whole life because my grandfather sold John Deere equipment for many years. In that time, I came to learn that they are the best. This was confirmed to me by my purchase of the JA62 Walk-Behind Mower.

The Specs
Cast aluminum deck
6.5 HP engine
Self-propelled, two speed engine
Includes rear bagger, mulch plug, and side discharge chute

Assembly
In one word: easy. No tools were needed and the instructions were clear. From box to lawn took me less than 10 minutes.

Mowing With The JA62
From the very beginning, it was clear that this mower far surpassed my old Yard Machine. Starting it is easy and has always worked with just 1 or 2 pulls. When I squeezed the lever to start the mower moving, move it did. Though the motion was smooth and easy, it also traveled surprisingly fast. And this was on the slower speed. I’ve yet to even need to go to the faster speed. Even up hills through too-long grass, this mower keeps on keepin’ on. Throughout it all, there is little vibration which makes holding on comfortable and makes mowing a pleasure. It moves so easily that I almost feel like I don’t need to be there.

Besides moving quickly, the JA62 cuts very evenly. My lawn looks noticeably better with this mower than it had before. The bag is easy to take off, empty, and put back on. I do wish there was some way to leave the mower running during this procedure so I wouldn’t have to restart it each time. I imagine it was designed this way for safety reasons, and it is not a big deal since it is so easy to start.

Other downsides
For one, this thing is heavy, as things of quality tend to be. While mowing, this is not a concern since the engine readily moves the mower along despite its weight. It only comes into play when you are moving the mower when it is off, at which time it is somewhat unwieldy.

The other complaint is that the mower seems a bit loud to me, especially at full throttle (rabbit). It’s probably not any louder than other mowers with the same size engine, but still it would be nicer if it were quieter.

Recommended: Yes